1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to computer networks, and in particular to methods of transmitting electronic messages through computer networks.
2. Background Art
Electronic mail is rapidly supplanting post office mail as a means for communicating between individuals. One significant advantage of electronic mail is that the transmission time associated with electronic messages is ordinarily only seconds or fractions of a second, as compared to post office mail which ordinarily requires days.
The mailing time associated with post office mail often causes significant delay in the conduct of business, and has been largely ignored, and consequently tolerated, until the advent of express mail services and electronic mail. Nowadays, this widespread delay of business is identified as a "float;" minimizing or eliminating this float has become one goal of business managers, efficiency experts, and others hoping to increase societal productivity.
Electronic mail is one particularly attractive solution to mailing transaction delays; however, several drawbacks must be overcome to enhance the utility of electronic message transmission. One drawback is that electronic messages are ordinarily only transmittable between users enrolled, or "linked," to a common computer network, a requirement which severely limits the number of entities to which electronic messages may be transmitted. A second drawback is that the costs associated with enrolling and maintaining users in a computer network are far from insignificant, and include the costs of hardware, software, and network enrollment charges.